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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27879978">A Muppet Family Christmas</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/blueboxesandtrafficcones/pseuds/blueboxesandtrafficcones'>blueboxesandtrafficcones</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>31 Days of Ficmas 2018 [13]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Doctor Who (2005)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>A Muppet Family Christmas, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Human, Christmas Movies, Drinking Games, F/M, Grief/Mourning, Heart-to-Heart, Mario Kart, Strip Games</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-12-04</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-12-04</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-10 15:08:38</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,964</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27879978</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/blueboxesandtrafficcones/pseuds/blueboxesandtrafficcones</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Despite being mid-January James and Rose have a Christmas-movie watching date, and open up about old grief amidst being childish with the Muppets and Mario Kart.</p><p>Part of the Cosier With You ‘verse.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Tenth Doctor/Rose Tyler</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>31 Days of Ficmas 2018 [13]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1200850</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>7</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>28</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>31 Days of Ficmas 2020</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>A Muppet Family Christmas</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Day 13 of 2018's 31 Days of Ficmas</p><p>Prompt: Holiday movies</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>With a final swipe of gloss across her lips, Rose returned the lipstick to her purse, fluffed her hair, and knocked on the door.</p><p>“It’s open!”</p><p>Pushing the door open, she grinned at the sight that greeted her.  Hair still obviously wet from the shower, her boyfriend of three weeks (and counting!) stood on the far side of his kitchen island, preoccupied with a popcorn popper that was spitting out perfectly popped corn.  “Hey!” he greeted her warmly, as she dumped her stuff and came around to his side.  “Missed you.”</p><p>“I saw you this morning,” she laughed, kissing him hello.  “Mm, you taste like butter.”</p><p>“I had to make sure it was good,” James shrugged, gesturing to the half-full bowl catching the freshly popped corn.  “Only the best for you.  And yes, but we were at your place of work, surrounded by people.  I much prefer when we’re alone.”</p><p>“So do I.”  Wrapping her arms around his waist, she rested her head on his bicep.  “Remind me why we’re watching Christmas movies in mid-January?”</p><p>James eased out of her arms as the popper wound down, dumping the last of the kernels into the bowl before switching the machine off.  “Because I don’t want to wait a year to curl up with you and popcorn and watch cheesy Christmas-themed movies with you.”  He nodded towards a bottle of white wine and two glasses on the counter, still chilled from the fridge, waiting for Rose to grab them before guiding her to the couch, which was already prepared for the evening.</p><p>Two soft, fleece-lined blankets stood at the ready, along with the pillows from his bed.  A stack of DVDs sat on the coffee table, two drink coasters optimally positioned, and to complete the Christmas-y vibe, all the decorations, including the tree, were still up.</p><p>“So, for future reference, do you typically leave the tree up this long?” she asked, plopping down roughly in the middle of the couch and pulling out the pre-popped cork.  “‘Cause I’ve gotta be honest, mine’s been down since the third, and this might be a sticking point in the future.”</p><p>He laughed, settling next to her and reaching for his glass.  “No, but… I’m not ready to take it down yet, this year.  I’m afraid…”</p><p>“What?”  She took her own glass, leaning back into the cushions and giving him her full attention.</p><p>“I’m afraid that this- what we have- is a function of Christmas magic, and if I remove the decorations…” he trailed off, ears flushing.  “Point is, I’m not taking any chances on this.”</p><p>Rose grinned, blushing herself, and wiggled closer.  “I’m not going to disappear if you take your tree down,” she promised.  “And I’m mostly teasing you – it’s sort of nice, it still being up.  Not sure I’d say the same if I was living- with one still up,” she faltered, and they shared a smile at what was unsaid- “but… yeah.  I wouldn’t want to jinx us either.  I’ve been wanting this for so long.”</p><p>“Me too.”  He leaned forward, and they met in the middle in a kiss that tasted of salt from the popcorn, tart from the wine, and sweet from what she was learning was just <em>him</em>.  “Mhmm, you’re too tempting,” he accused without heat when he pulled back for breath.  “This isn’t why I asked you over.”</p><p>“All right, all right,” she resettled herself with a laugh.  “Fine, we can Netflix <em>then</em> Chill, if that’s what you really want.”</p><p>His ears and neck turned a delightful shade of scarlet, and he all but lunged for the stack of DVDs, voice squeaking as he said, “So!  What shall we start with?”</p><p>Leaning in again she rested her cheek against his shoulder as they shuffled through the selection, and it took everything she had not to scoff at the final option, managing a neutral tone to say, “A Muppet Family Christmas?”</p><p>James stilled beside her, and she was glad she hadn’t laughed when a distant expression flashed across his face.  “It was my dad’s favorite Christmas movie,” he said, hesitantly.  “Mum hated it, but tolerated it when we were old enough to watch it.  It became our thing, me Donna and Dad’s.  She and I still watch it together every year.”</p><p>“Oh.”  Rose tried to marshal her thoughts, recognizing that he was letting her in on something special, wondering distantly if it was some sort of test.  “I’ve never actually seen it.”</p><p>“Really?”</p><p>She nodded.  “Slightly before my time.  I know who the Muppets are, of course, saw the Christmas Carol one, but… not this.”</p><p>He was silent for a moment, picking at the corner of the box.  “D’you wanna?”</p><p>“Yes.”  She surprised them both with the strength of her response, based on how James’ head flew up to blink at her.  “Sounds like this might be the closest I get to meeting your Dad, so- let’s do it.”</p><p>His blinding smile told her it was absolutely the right answer.</p>
<hr/><p>By the end of the movie they were snuggled together, singing along at the top of their lungs to the final song, even as it trailed off to the credits.</p><p>“-And a happy new year!” they finished, before breaking into peals of laughter.</p><p>“Oh, I loved it,” Rose proclaimed, wiping tears of merriment from her eyes.  “I can’t believe I’ve never seen that – it’s adorable!”</p><p>Beside her, James made a happy noise, pressing his face into her bicep.  “Really?”</p><p>Wriggling around, Rose waited until she could meet his eye to respond.  “Really,” she said firmly.  “There’s something special about it.  And more importantly, it’s special to <em>you</em>.  So it’s special to me.  Thank you for sharing this bit of yourself with me.”  No words could express how honored she felt, that he was comfortable sharing something so personal with her.  It made her a little wistful for her own father; while both men were gone, James had at least grown up with his father, known him in person- Rose had been a baby when Pete died.</p><p>“Hey, what’s wrong?”  James’ concerned tone dragged her out of the spiral of her thoughts, and she looked up at him when he brushed at her cheek.  “You’re crying.”</p><p>She bit her lip.  “I was just thinking about my own dad,” she said truthfully.  “I’d give anything to share something like this with him.  Or, anything, really.  I was six months when he- when we lost him.  I mean, on bank holidays Mum and I watch old Cliff Richards movies, but… it’s not quite the same as this.”</p><p>“I’m sorry.  I didn’t mean to bring up a… a sad memory for you.”  His soulful chocolate eyes felt like they could see into her very heart, and she pushed down the ever-present but background grief.</p><p>“It’s okay.  Sometimes it hits me in the weirdest moments.  And I’m sorry I didn’t get a chance to meet your Dad – he sounds wonderful, based on your stories.”  Then she bolted upright, as a memory surfaced.  “Holy shit – I think I <em>did</em> meet your dad!  Three Christmases ago, the first couple months you were coming in – we didn’t have much of a relationship then, but I still clocked you every time, ‘cause you’re so bloody cute, and I remember you came in a few days before Christmas with an older man!  You’d been out shopping, and blimey, he looked just like you!”</p><p>James was silent for a long moment, before exhaling.  “Blimey, I think you’re right.  I’d forgotten – I was sweet on your even then, and I think he noticed, ‘cause he kept teasing me.  I never took him back, for fear of him embarrassing me.  But… yeah, there you go.  You did meet him.  And he liked you, much as he could in thirty seconds.  Kept egging me to ask you out, and I brushed him off.  If only I’d listened to him…”</p><p>They sat with that, imaging what could have been, before Rose clapped her hands.  “No, we are <em>not</em> going down that rabbit hole.  Let’s be grateful that we got there, and we’re here now.  Trust me, I spent my entire life pretending not to notice how my mum had one foot stuck in the could-have-beens.  Better not to start down that path.”  She reached for the bottle of wine, but it was empty.  “What d’you say we go do some stargazing?”</p><p>“Or…” he drawled, raising an eyebrow, “we could continue on our childish theme and play Mario Kart.”</p><p>“That’s what I’m talking about!”</p>
<hr/><p>By the third race their maudlin musings had been all but forgotten, as they battled it out for first place with taunts and good-natured ribbing, giving no quarter and playing as though their lives depended on it – complete with over-dramatic victory dances and cheering.</p><p>“Oh, come on!” James protested, as Rose eked out a second win by a breath.  “You’re cheating!”</p><p>“Am not,” she denied, settling back on the couch after a final celebratory kick.  “Novice, remember?  Beginner’s luck?”</p><p>He grumbled, turning to look at her.  “Care to make it more interesting?”</p><p>“How so?”</p><p>“Winner takes a shot, loser loses an item of clothing?”</p><p>Rose laughed, shaking her head.  “You want to turn strip-racing into a drinking game?”  Leaning back, she considered her outfit and his, then the empty bottle of wine.  “What d’you got for shots?”</p><p>A rifle through the fridge produced a cold bottle of peppermint schnapps, “In keeping with the Christmas theme,” he declared, setting it on the coffee table along with two shot glasses.  “Hope you’re thirsty.”</p><p>Shaking her head, Rose folded her legs beneath her.  “You do know I’m a sure thing, right?” she teased, choosing the next track in the game.  “You don’t need to get me drunk, or strip to get me interested.”</p><p>“Someone’s confident in themself, aren’t they?” he leered.  “Better watch out – who knows what the promise of getting you in your knickers will do to my ability in the game?”</p><p>“Not a thing,” she shot back, catching her tongue between her teeth.  “Because there’s no where you’re getting me in my knickers.”  She started the race, laughing at his outraged yelp.</p><p>“We’ll see.”</p><p>The light turned green and they took off, and Rose waited until they were near the end and he was slightly ahead to say, “I’d have to be wearing knickers for you to see me in them.”  As predicted he startled, going so far as to drop his controller, and with a laugh, she sped across the finish line for her third win in a row.  As her character (Princess Peach, natch) was crowned, she turned to watch him splutter, eyes wide.</p><p>Finally, he just pointed, making a wheezing sound.  “You…”</p><p>She took her shot first, nearly coughing at the overwhelming peppermint flavor, before turning her whole body to him.  “Strip, loser,” she ordered with a smirk.  “And, in case you don’t believe me…”  Brave off the half-bottle of wine and the shot, she lifted her leg to splay it along the back of the sofa, confirming for him that she wasn’t wearing anything beneath her skirt.  Laughing at the awestruck look on his face she returned to facing the telly, tucking her knees primly together.  “I held up my end of the bargain…”</p><p>Coming back to life, he shook his head in disgust.  “You’re not playing fair.”  He whipped his shirt off, revealing his lovely muscular chest, and her knees squeezed together just a bit tighter.</p><p>“Well, lose quicker then, so we can go to bed.”</p>
<hr/><p>He didn’t win a single race after that, but an hour later, flat on his back on his living room floor wearing only a single sock, with a sticky and sweaty Rose collapsed on his chest, he couldn’t be bothered to care.</p><p>“I love Christmas.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Thank you for reading!</p></blockquote></div></div>
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